The Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) says Danladi Ciroma, the Chairman of the group in the north-central region who claimed that the attack in Plateau State was retaliatory, was speaking for himself rather than the group.
Ciroma issued a statement during which he claimed that the largescale killing of people in Plateau by suspected herdsmen were retaliatory attacks following the loss of 300 cows to similar attacks.
“These attacks are retaliatory. As much as I don’t support the killing of human being, the truth must be told that those who carried out the attacks must be on revenge mission,” Ciroma had said.
“Fulani herdsmen have lost about 300 cows in the last few weeks — 94 cows were rustled by armed Berom youth in Fan village, another 36 cows were killed by Berom youth. In addition to that, 174 cattle were rustled and the criminals disappeared with them to Mangu [Local Government].”
However, speaking on Channels Television, the National Secretary of Miyetti Allah, Mr Othman Ngelzarma, said the statement is not the position of the group.
He said: “The statement made by the zonal chairman should be credited to him. That should be his personal opinion because I believe he should be an indigene of Plateau State.”
He condemned the act, describing any herdsman who carries AK47 as a criminal.
“It is so wicked, it is condemnable. We don’t condone it, we do not like it. It is really unfortunate and we sympathise with the communities in that area,” Ngelzarma said.
“Whoever is holding a dangerous weapon up to the level of AK-47, we consider that person to be a criminal as far as we are concerned.
“We know these are prohibited arms that should not be held by any other person apart from the security operatives. Apart from that, I don’t think it is allowed for anybody in this country to hold a dangerous weapon as AK-47.”
Too late. The damage has been done. Ngalzerma is simply trying damage-control the situation… What Ciroma said was a confirmation of what everybody already knew. The Fulanis are increasingly becoming law unto themselves. They kill people with the excuse that their cattle have been rustled, but truth is, it is the Fulanis themselves who rustle these cows. Nobody, and I mean NOBODY can rustle these cows except the Fulanis… I can wager a bet that there’s no way a farmer who lives a sedentary life can rustle 30 cows least of all, 170, and successfully DISAPPEAR with them… Nobody know these routes except the Fulanis. … There is no way a non Fulani can convey 10 cows, much less, 50 or 100 to the market and sell without raising suspicion.. . The problem is that the Fulanis, like their Grand Patron, Buhari, live in denial. They blame everybody except themselves and refuse to take responsibility…. But they know the truth. They know it is their fellow Fulanis who are rustling their animals and killing them…